Year 4 pupils at Brindishe Lee School have sent London Square a list of ideas for naming the buildings and roads in the new Lee Green development.
Their teacher Mrs Rathbone told the Lee Manor Society “In our geography unit, we have been looking at how Lee Green has changed over time using maps and as the brief says that London Square prefer names with historical significance we looked again at the map from circa 1745 that we had used. It shows Lee Green in its infancy and the children used some of the names on it – both people and geographical parts – to generate their ideas.”
1745 map of Lee which inspired the Brindishe children
Here are the names the Brindishe children have sent in: Gregory Road, Ridley Marsh Road, Stubbs House, Splash Common Tower, John Lade Tower, Green Wood Lane, Downtrees Court, Grassy Heath Road and Lee Page Road.
Mrs Rathbone added “We have also been for a walk around our local area using our own list of criteria for what makes somewhere a good place to live.”
Thanks to everyone who submitted ideas for the names of buildings and roads in the new Lee Green development on the old Leegate site.
We have passed them on to London Square.
Your ideas broke down into three broad areas: names from the history of Lee, names of notable residents and names derived from the old Leegate shopping centre.
Among the ideas based on local history was Edmund Halley – who as well as giving his name to the old Wetherspoon’s pub was an 18th century Astronomer Royal who is buried in the old St Margaret’s churchyard. Halley was the first to use science to predict the appearances of comets in the sky.
Another suggestion based on local history is Cordell – to commemorate the daughter of Sir Brian Annesley, a 16th/17th century resident of Lee whose story some believe to be the inspiration for Shakespeare’s King Lear.
Among the names of celebrities who lived in Lee were: Max Wall, Manfred Mann, Jude Law, Kate Bush and the Olympian Daryll Neita.
Edith Nesbit, the well-known author of The Railway Children and Lee resident was suggested by several people.
Her name is already commemorated in the small park near the development was mentioned in several responses.
She lived in Lee and Blackheath for many years and it’s said she weas inspired to write The Railway Children by observing the railway lines near Grove Park and Blackheath.
Another author whose name was suggested is Phyllis Wilmott. She was a sociologist and lived in Lampmead Road, and wrote a number of books including ‘Growing up in a London Village’ which describes her childhood in Lee Green.
A handful of names from the world of politics were submitted, including Karl Marx who apparently stayed in Lee, briefly, though we don’t know exactly when, and Rosa Billinghurst, a campaigning suffragette.
A more contemporary resident, suggested by several people, is Jim Mallory – a former councillor and Chair of the Lee Green Consortium. Some people also felt the former Leegate shopping centre should be commemorated in a building or road name. Among the ideas was Woolworth Road!
Thanks for all your bright ideas. Keep them coming! You can either add them as comments under this article or email leemanorsociety@gmail.com
